Born on 12 January 1884 in Waco, Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan played a gun-slinger and rode bareback in silent films, took New York by storm in 1906, and earned a salary of $700,000 as a speakeasy hostess. Here are highlights from a life led at full speed until 5 November 1933. Meet TEXAS GUINAN!

Sunday, October 08, 2006

Meet Texas Guinan Tuesday

The Waco Tribune Herald, Texas Guinan's hometown newspaper, printed an intriguing item on Sunday - - 8 October 2006. Reporter Terri Jo Ryan, Tribune-Herald staffwriter, highlighted this upcoming event featuring Texas food, history, and local personalities - - and we already know a few.• • Pizza proprietor and educator Mary Duty envisions Waco history in terms of restaurants, taverns, and tales swapped over soup, beer, Mexican food. . . and pizza.• • “Restaurants kind of tell the story of a town,” Mary Duty said. “Look at Waco’s famous Klaras family. Pete Klaras was a Greek immigrant who had this popular café on the Square and fed many Americans through the Depression. The story is he kept a bowl of soup on at all times.” To ensure that hungry but penniless customers retained their pride, they were invited to have soup and sign a ledger agreeing to an I.O.U. [though it seems that Klaras never expected poverty-stricken people to made good on their face-saving promise].• • Such history is part of a unique local event this week in Waco, Texas. If you’ve ever fancied enjoying pizza with 1920s speakeasy queen Texas Guinan or munching eggrolls with Waco’s pistol-packin’ publisher William Cowper Brann, you shouldn't miss this chance.• • At the “Taste of Waco History” offering set from 5:00 - 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday [October 10th], some of the most famous characters of Six Shooter Junction’s colorful past will rub elbows with mere mortals enjoying food and beverages at the Waco History Project’s major fundraiser.• • Snobby Tours is providing living history re-enactors to ferry folks to famous sites around town. Three 30-minute tours have been scheduled and will depart from the parking lot of Nelson’s, 414 Franklin Ave. The first begins shortly after 5 p.m.• • Other “spirits” invited to the party include Sul Ross, early Texas Ranger, governor of Texas and president of Texas A&M; Alf Neill, the first Waco police officer killed in the line of duty; Estella Maxey, musical entertainer; Madison Cooper, author of Sironia, Texas; and Scottish settler Neil McLennan, for whom the county is named.• • Organizers have dubbed the event “Meet Me at Hamburger Pete’s.”• • Mary Duty, treasurer of the Waco History Project, said each of the participating restaurants has a unique history. . . .• • Admission tickets — - which include food, beverage and motorcoach tour - — can be purchased at the Tribune-Herald, 900 Franklin Avenue or the Historic Waco Foundation, 810 S. Fourth Street.• • Published: Sunday 8 October 2006• • Source: Terri Jo Ryan - tjryan@wacotrib.comWaco Tribune Tel: 254-757-5746 - - URL: www.wacotrib.comToll-free: 800-678-8742_________________________________________________________Source:http://texasguinan.blogspot.com/atom.xmlTexas Guinan• • photo: Texas Guinan • • 1928 • • NYCTexas Guinan.